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Salomon Rondon was on the scoresheet as Newcastle United recorded a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The goal was Rondon’s seventh in the league this season and there is no question that he has been a success since arriving on loan from West Bromwich Albion.

The Magpies will be keen to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent deal at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

However, they will surely not be the only ones, with Rondon proving this season – and indeed last – that he is capable of operating at this level of football.

Rondon took to social media in the aftermath of the Huddersfield result, which led to a number of Newcastle fans lavishing praise on the forward.

Indeed, many urged the South American to join the club on a permanent deal at the end of the campaign, whilst others simply hailed the summer arrival.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Brenden Aaronson is keen on a move to Leeds United this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable reporter Phil Hay, who delivered a fresh update on the situation of the RB Salzburg midfield in a recent Q&A with supporters.

And they’ll be delighted with what he said:

“The intention is, or certainly was, to bid again for Aaronson. He’s interested in the move, he’s played under Jesse Marsch before and Salzburg are likely to be more open to bids in the summer than they were in January.”

Indeed, the Yorkshire giants failed with two bids during the winter, the latter being in excess of £20m. Meanwhile, Transfermarkt value the USMNT international in the region of £18m.

Sign him up!

When the transfer window does reopen, it’s time for director of football Victor Orta and co to push ahead with signing the 21-year-old maestro at long last.

Leeds have failed to sign a new man for the engine room for nearly four-and-a-half years now, with the last arrival being Adam Forshaw from Middlesbrough in 2018.

It’s no wonder the side have been embroiled in a relegation battle in just their second season back in the big time as they clearly haven’t strengthened enough to remain competitive.

And when you risk losing someone like Raphinha in the summer, new manager Jesse Marsch is going to need plenty of new additions to bolster the playing squad and he should look no further than a player he once managed over in Austria.

The 18-cap dynamo is a hugely talented attacking midfielder with bags of potential and could be worth every penny. He has delivered five goals and ten assists across 35 appearances this season, even delivering in the Champions League, where he ranks amongst the very best indeed.

Across the last year, Aaronson ranks amongst the top 1% of similar midfielders and attackers for pressures in the final third (10.46 per 90) and tackles in the final third (0.5 per 90), as per FBRef.

He also created a whopping five key chances against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, becoming the youngest-ever player to do so since Lionel Messi against Celtic in 2008.

It’s no wonder his manager, Matthias Jaissle, waxed lyrical about his work rate only last month.

“The special thing is, I hardly know any other No. 10 who works so much without the ball,” he said. “He always puts himself behind [on defence], he is a great team player, very hardworking and has a monster mentality.”

Meanwhile, former USA international DeMarcus Beasley described his talents as “silky” and elsewhere, he’s been compared to Clint Dempsey, who was quite the hit in the Premier League for Fulham and Spurs.

On the above evidence, the young American would be quite the signing for Marsch and this new era in west Yorkshire, one that could really get Elland Road rocking,

Supporters will be absolutely delighted to have a player like Aaronson, capable of pressing from the front and playing for the badge each and every week. Orta and co must snap him up as their first signing this summer.

AND in other news, Marsch could finally axe shocking Bielsa favourite in summer swoop for “exceptional” 21 y/o gem…

The January transfer window is heading into the final stages and Rangers have been fairly busy in the market so far this month.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson have struck deals to sign James Sands and John Souttar, joining on loan and on a pre-contract deal respectively, and they have sold Nathan Patterson for a club-record deal to Premier League club Everton.

It remains to be seen if they are able to get any more moves over the line in the final days of the window, but they are still being linked with other players to bolster the squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

Prso 2.0

One player who has been touted with a switch to Ibrox this month is Rijeka attacker Robert Muric, formerly of Dutch giants Ajax.

In an article from Bulgarian outlet Tema Sports detailing Rangers’ interest in Ludogorets forward Kiril Despodov, Muric is mentioned as one of numerous players the Glasgow club are considering as they seek to bolster their options in the final third of the pitch.

Rangers can find their new wing wizard by snapping up the 25-year-old, who has shown impressive quality for his current club in recent years with 34 goals and 23 assists in 105 games – a goal contribution every 1.84 matches on average.

A Croatian forward who can score and create goals… remind you of anyone? Van Bronckhorst could land Dado Prso 2.0 for the Gers by sealing a deal to sign the Rijeka winger this month.

Prso racked up 35 goals and 16 assists in 116 games for Rangers during his time with the club. This included 31 goals and 15 assists in 93 Premiership outings – a goal contribution every 2.03 games on average.

The Gers could duly find their next Croatian wing wizard by signing Muric, who has a similar record in terms of goal contributions for Rijeka as Prso had for the Scottish giants. If the former is able to adapt to the Premiership and make a similar level of impact in the final third, then he could be a fantastic signing.

Fans would surely love to see a player running down the wing at Ibrox with the threat of being able to score and set up goals on a regular basis. The £2.7m-rated gem could give Van Bronckhorst another option to call upon in his frontline, so Rangers must look to snap him up before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Rangers can finally replace Gilmour by signing “phenomenal” 18y/o who “has everything”…

Manchester United have not made much progress so far in their winter transfer window, despite many players being linked to the club over the first two weeks, but Ralf Rangnick could be set to make his first star signing as manager at Old Trafford.

Rangnick’s side have been struggling to get results in the Premier League since the new year began, with a defeat at home in their first game of the year against Wolves, and drawing in their second league game of 2022 with Aston Villa after losing a two-goal lead on Saturday evening.

These results and a clear lack of determination to see games out will only put more pressure on the interim manager to make signings who can make a positive impact and offer the side the quality they need to climb into the top four as they compete with West Ham United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for a Champions League qualifying place.

One player that could save Rangnick’s six months in charge at Old Trafford, is Ousmane Dembele who was hailed “better than Mbappe” by Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, recently.

The 24-year-old forward has not been playing a lot for the La Liga giants with only six appearances in the league this season so far due to a knee injury, and has been linked with a move to Manchester United this week, with the £287k-per-week gem out of contract in the summer, so a cut-price deal could be available if Rangnick feels it would be worth stepping up on the signings this month.

Dembele has a fantastic goal involvement record at Barcelona, despite only playing 58 minutes on average per game for the club so far, with a goal or assist every 141 minutes according to Transfermarkt.

Someone with consistent output would be a great addition to the Manchester United forward line, with the creative possibilities endless for the French attacker if he was to play alongside the second-highest goalscorer in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fans would also love to see Dembele add attacking depth at Old Trafford, with one fan even tweeting:

“What is the solution to make Man United a great club? Sign Dembele.”

Rangnick will be looking to find a way to get the fans back on side after some turned on the manager after the Aston Villa game on Saturday evening, so signing a star offensive player like Dembele could be a good way to get back in the good books of the fanbase for the German coach.

In other news: Rangnick has fee agreed for Amadou Haidara

Arsenal have been handed a late boost in their bid to sign Yves Bissouma this January transfer window…

What’s the word?

The Gunners were linked with a move for the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder earlier this month by The Sunday Mirror (09/01, p71), whilst they have seemingly held a long-term interest in signing him.

Now, according to The Times, the Seagulls are prepared to let him go before Monday night’s deadline for a fee of £50m.

Arsenal have missed out on some key midfield targets this window, including Arthur Melo, whose potential loan move from Juventus fell through, and Bruno Guimaraes, who is set to join top-flight rivals Newcastle United.

Arteta needs him

A new central midfielder must be among the many priorities around the Emirates Stadium but time is quickly running out, which is why a move for a player already based in the Premier League makes the world of sense.

Brighton have made their willingness to conduct business very clear, so the door has opened for Edu Gaspar and his recruitment staff to strike. It would be unforgivable not to.

The Gunners have offloaded as many as five players this month already, all without making a single signing, leaving Arteta light on options in the engine room.

It doesn’t help that Thomas Partey and Mo Elneny have been away on international duty but even with them around, there’s a serious lack of depth in midfield.

Bissouma has already proven his credentials in England and would be a fine addition indeed.

As per WhoScored, he’s averaging a whopping 3.6 tackles per game, which sees him top the entire division in this regard, whilst also managing 1.9 interceptions and 1.7 dribbles per outing, too.

He’s evidently an absolute beast in the heart of the pitch, one capable of not only winning the ball back but also driving it forward into the final third. Perhaps exactly what Arsenal are missing.

Former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie once said: “I did a chat with myself and Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday a few weeks ago talking about Bissouma, and we highlighted what he actually does. I mean, his stats are absolutely phenomenal, the way he breaks the game up, his forward play.”

By comparison, the erroneous Granit Xhaka – who plays a similar role in north London – averages a lower 1.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 0.4 dribbles per match, via WhoScored.

Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old Mali international has been described as a “wonderful talent” and likened to Yaya Toure in terms of playing style.

Arteta could really do with Bissouma before tomorrow night’s deadline, so it will certainly be an interesting final 24 hours or so.

AND in other news, “I’m told..”: Reliable journo drops huge transfer claim as Arsenal make Prem star their no.1 target…

Tottenham Hotspur are one of multiple Premier League teams lining up a move for Kieran Trippier in what would be a sensational return to north London…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, as many as nine English top-flight sides have made an enquiry to Atletico Madrid over the 31-year-old right-back, who joined the LaLiga outfit from Spurs for around £25m back in 2019.

The Lilywhites are said to have asked about his availability heading into the January transfer window.

Manchester United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa are among the many clubs thought to be keen on the England international, though it remains to be seen how much he would command with his release clause being in the region of £50m.

Transfermarkt, however, value him at just £18m.

Bye-bye Doherty?

A move for another right-back this season would surely spell the end for Matt Doherty’s time in north London as sporting director Fabio Paratici already signed Emerson Royal to replace Serge Aurier in the summer.

Indeed, it’s thought that the Northern Irishman, who was signed by Jose Mourinho for £15m, is on the chopping block next month.

“Spurs would be interested in moving on Dele Alli and possibly Matt Doherty, and there are others they would listen to offers for,” revealed The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke this week.

Trippier was a regular part of Diego Simeone’s side as they clinched the LaLiga title last season. As per WhoScored figures, he ranked as his second-best player with a rating of 7.20.

On top of providing six assists from defence, the Englishman also led the squad for tackles (2.2 per game) and interceptions (1.4 per game), and was also a major influence in the final third, managing the second-highest number of key passes (1.4 per game).

Despite heading towards his mid-thirties, it’s evident that Trippier has still got it and he would be a mighty fine addition to Conte’s squad.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has regularly lauded the right-back in the past. In the summer, he was dubbed a “defensive animal” and a “warrior” for his form and contribution at Atletico in recent times.

Spurs fans have always held Trippier in high regard, so they would surely be excited by the prospect of bringing him back to N17, whilst on the above evidence, he would be the perfect signing for Conte.

His ability to contribute at either end of the pitch is exactly what’s required in his wing-back system, so sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to seal the former Lilywhites star this winter – at all costs.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Eric Dier: Spurs eyeing swoop for £45m-rated “top player”, Conte “wants” him…

West Brom face another test in the Championship tonight with a home clash against Nottingham Forest to try and get their season back on track after weeks of mixed results.

Their previous league outing saw them draw 0-0 against Blackpool, leaving the Baggies without a win in their last three games.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players West Brom manager Valerien Ismael could pick for his starting XI to take on Forest, one man who featured in the draw against Blackpool but should not be in the team on this occasion is Cedric Kipre.

In the match at Blackpool in midweek, the centre-back – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £14k-per-week according to Salary Sport – was something of a liability at the back for the Baggies, even though they managed to keep a clean sheet on the day.

In this regard, the 24-year-old managed to get dribbled past on two occasions, gave three fouls away (which led to him being handed a yellow card), lost possession 13 times, misplaced 11 passes and lost seven of his 12 duels.

This performance ultimately earned the centre-back, who has been previously described as an “assassin” by former Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated West Brom player on the day alongside Karlan Grant.

Looking ahead to tonight’s match, perhaps it could be the best option for Ismael to take Kipre out of the team so that he doesn’t end up potentially costing the Baggies the game, especially when they could really do with a win to keep them in the race for promotion by the end of the campaign.

In terms of who Ismael could utilise instead of Kipre tonight to help Albion to another clean sheet, perhaps it could be the right time for Semi Ajayi to come back into the team after being an unused substitute for their four previous league games.

In other news: West Brom could soar to promotion by signing this MLS star

Adam Jones was left slamming the performance of Ben Godfrey as Everton lost 3-2 away from home to Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Damaging defeat

It really was yet another damaging loss for Frank Lampard and his team at the foot of the table, as the win for the Clarets closed the gap between the two sides to just one point.

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The Goodison Park faithful were actually in the lead at half-time through two Richarlison penalties after Nathan Collins had opened the scoring for the hosts from a corner, but Jay Rodriguez and Maxwel Cornet ensured that they had to suffer another miserable defeat.

Worryingly, Sean Dyche even admitted after the match that he told his players the Everton squad ‘don’t know how to win’.

The Latest: Godfrey slammed

Writing in his player ratings piece for The Liverpool Echo, Jones slammed Godfrey’s display in particular, citing the ‘awful’ mistake that he made in the lead up to the decisive goal of the game, while he ‘didn’t cover himself in glory’ with his positioning for the hosts’ second goal either.

Jones gave him just a 4/10 overall rating, the joint-worst in the squad along with Jonjoe Kenny.

The Verdict: Must do better

Godfrey will know that he made a mistake for the third goal, and overall he must do better defensively if the Toffees are to avoid the dreaded drop.

The central defender lost out on two of his duels, and only managed to make one interception in the entire match, while his passing was not up to scratch, recording just 54% accuracy, one of the lowest in the squad (SofaScore).

He was also inaccurate with all seven of his long ball attempts, and lost possession 12 times from just 36 touches (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Lampard must seriously consider whether to start him again as Manchester United come calling at Saturday lunchtime, but with Michael Keane now available after suspension.

In other news, find out which ‘brilliant’ leader the Blues are now eyeing here!

Leeds United have enquired about signing Djed Spence, according to reports…

What’s the word?

“Teams in the Premier League and across Europe have been enquiring about the availability of Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence during this window,” revealed Sky Sports reporter Tom White (via Football Daily).

“It’s believed that Arsenal have made their interest known as they look to add competition for places at right-back. Leeds have also made an enquiry. The 21-year-old is actually a Middlesbrough player but is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.”

The Mirror believe the young full-back is valued at around £10m after impressing against the Gunners during their shock FA Cup victory nearly two weeks ago.

Ayling backup

As an attack-minded wing-back, Spence would be a really intriguing signing for Leeds and one that could well benefit manager Marcelo Bielsa tenfold.

The Argentinian head coach only really has one senior option on the right-hand side of defence in vice-captain Luke Ayling, who has missed games through injury this campaign. The likes of Stuart Dallas and Jamie Shackleton have had to deputise out of position, as a result.

After falling down the pecking order under Neil Warnock at Boro, the 6-foot defender has been a standout star under Steve Cooper at the City Ground, where he currently ranks as their fifth-best performer in the Championship.

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As per WhoScored, Spence has averaged 1.6 tackles and interceptions per game, showing his defensive stability, but also a squad-high 1.8 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per game, which goes to show his influence in the final third, too.

Despite things turning south under the veteran boss, Warnock was once full of praise for the young starlet, comparing him to two of England’s top right-backs.

“You look at one or two or the others now, Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool and Wan-Bissaka at Man United, they are all that type,” he said. “He has got enormous ability and when you have that ability it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top.”

His performance against Arsenal earlier in the month was described as an “incredible display” by football.london writer Connor Humm, so it suggests that he is more than capable of competing with the big boys, should a move ensue this year.

With a lack of solid options behind his star man, Bielsa could really do with Spence and at just £10m for a homegrown talent, it would be an absolute steal.

AND in other news, Deal agreed: Leeds eye bargain swoop for £4.5m-rated “pitbull”, Bielsa will be buzzing…

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing as some injury news emerged on Pedro Neto.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Manchester City in the Premier League earlier this afternoon, Bruno Lage revealed (via The Express & Star) that the Portugal international is still on track to return to Molineux around the middle of next month, and that his last exam went well.

However, he does not know when Neto is going to start training with the squad again.

Nonetheless, the mere fact that the recovery is on track and he is still on course for his expected return date has delighted the Molineux faithful, given that he has not featured for them since April.

With five goals and six assists in the Premier League last season (Transfermarkt), the winger is clearly an important player to the team, and Lage will no doubt be excited to start working with him.

Wolves fans on Neto injury news

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the injury update was shared across Twitter, with couple even going as far as to claim that it was the ‘best news’:

“Best news”

Credit: @MOOKWOLF

“OH MANNNNNNN”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“Made my day”

Credit: @laurennandoo

“Good to hear this. Been getting worried about the lad. Can’t wait to see him linking up again with Raul and Adama!”

Credit: @ChrisMM__

“And boy do we need him!”

Credit: @aimstocks2021

“Best news”

Credit: @SammyLouisee_

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers erupting here!